A Fly-Fishing Journey

March 25

I recently took my two boys on a winter fly-fishing trip.

Yes, that thought in your mind is correct… winter is not the most productive time of the year to fish. Nonetheless, we planned the trip, prepared for success, and moved forward.
In spite of finding beautiful water, casting well, working the river just right and bringing a friend along (who has written twenty plus books on fly-fishing)… We did not catch a single fish all weekend.

In the hours spent fishing, the boys had only a single opportunity each to land a fish. Both failed. The water temperature, the need for sunshine and the awakening of hibernating fish just never aligned. It wasn’t the right time.

I left the weekend frustrated. My time alone with the boys is diminishing and I wanted to be successful. They are not always going to be available at my request to spend time fishing as they are growing up.

As I now sit at my desk reviewing the pictures of the weekend, I remember us laughing about getting the line caught in the tree and our discussion of girls over dinner. I remember feeling proud of them. They have become fishermen out of the love of “fishing” rather than “catching”.

The pictures are lovely. They capture the boys at a time in their lives that I never want to forget. I realize now that it wasn’t a bad fishing weekend; it was a perfect weekend. The journey far outweighed my desired product.

How often do I miss the blessing of the “journey” in my life because the outcomes aren’t to my liking? How often do I make an offering of a product to my family, to my job and to God rather than being engaged in the journey?